Reckitt developed a sublingual strip version of its
Suboxone anti-addiction drug to replace the tablet form,
Rochester Drug said in its lawsuit, filed today in U.S. District
Court in Wilmington, Delaware. This prevented competition
because pharmacists wouldn’t be allowed to substitute the
cheaper generic version, according to Rochester Drug’s lawsuit.

“Reckitt concocted a multifaceted anticompetitive scheme,
executed over the course of several years, to maintain and
extend its monopoly power,” Rochester Drug claimed in its
complaint.

Suboxone is used by heroin addicts to help control the
withdrawal symptoms. It costs about $8 a tablet and earned
Reckitt about $1 billion in U.S. sales, according to the
complaint.

Rochester Drug is seeking class-action, or group, status
for the case so it can sue on behalf of itself and others who
may have been harmed by Reckitt’s actions.

Dean Mastrojohn, a spokesman for Reckitt Benckiser North
America, didn’t immediately return an e-mail seeking comment on
the lawsuit.

The case is Rochester Drug Co-Operative Inc. v. Reckitt
Benckiser Inc., U.S. District Court, District of Delaware
(Wilmington).